Pandemic Fund and Partners Introduce Multi-Country Preparedness Project in Western Pacific

A multi-country pandemic preparedness project spanning 12 Western Pacific nations was officially introduced during a virtual meeting hosted ahead of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific session in Manila, Philippines. The initiative was presented by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Pandemic Fund Secretariat.

Titled "Data to Action: Stronger Pandemic Preparedness and Response Systems in the Western Pacific Region," the initiative marks the Pandemic Fund's first multi-country project in the area. The program includes Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Naoero, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Viet Nam.

According to the WHO, the project aims to address regional gaps in surveillance, laboratory networks, and emergency workforce readiness by applying a One Health approach that links human, animal, and environmental health sectors. The regional architecture is designed to connect national laboratory systems and specimen referral processes so that disease outbreaks detected in one nation can prompt a coordinated regional response.

The project is supported by a $35.99 million grant from the Pandemic Fund, which was established in 2022 as a global financing mechanism for low- and middle-income countries. Project partners reported that the grant has catalyzed over $151 million in additional co-financing from international partners, multilateral groups, philanthropic entities, and the private sector, along with more than $37 million in co-investments from the 12 participating governments.

The project was approved under the Pandemic Fund's third call for proposals. The introductory presentation served as an advance side event to the formal WHO Regional Committee session scheduled for October 19–22.

Source